Systems that include a keyboard and a display device are known. A traditional keyboard generally provides at least one kind of tactile feedback when the keys are pressed. A key is an example of a push activated button, which allows the user to feel when the key is pushed. This feel is a form of a tactile feedback. This example of tactile feedback allows the user to develop the ability for touch-typing. Touch-typing allows the user to keep her eyes on the display device while using the keyboard for input. Generally, touch-typing provides faster input because the user does not have take her eyes off of the display device to look at the keyboard when interacting with a system that has the traditional keyboard and display device.
The traditional keyboard has a plurality of keys, wherein each key is identified and fixed to a particular input. For example, the “A” key is labeled “A” and provides input for the alphanumeric character “A.” Further, traditional keyboards do not provide any visual feedback on the display screen that the user is touching a particular key on the keyboard. This requires the user to learn to touch-type and make an assumption that a particular key is being selected. The only visual feedback the user receives is after the key has been pushed all the way to activate the input associated with the key. For a user who has not learned to touch-type, the user must look down at the keyboard, move the finger away from the keys, visually search for and identify the desired key from the plurality of keys, and then push the desired key to activate the key input, then look at the screen of the display device and confirm that the desired key has been pressed.
Keyboards have been developed to provide alterable key assignments. For example, a keyboard that uses Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) on or below each key to indicate to the user the key assignment is known. LCD may be provided on the top surface of the key. LCD may be provided below the key and the key made of a clear material such that the LCD is visible by the user. In such devices, a key first labeled “A” that first provides input for the alphanumeric character “A” may be changed to a second label “B” and changed to provide input for the alphanumeric character “B,” dynamically or statically. Dynamically means while the user is using the device. Statically means the user must first stop using the device for input to change the display on the LCDs prior to using the new labels and associated input function of the key(s). Although such modifiable keyboard may be capable of providing a dynamically changeable input device to changing needs of the user or software, such changes can lead to challenges to the user such that touch-typing becomes challenging if not impossible. For example, the user's fingers would overlap the small LCD screens of the keys obscuring the new key labels. Accordingly, if the key that was labeled “A” has changed to the label “B,” the user would have to take the fingers off from the key and must look at the keyboard to recognize that this change in the label has occurred. There would be other challenges for the user to touch-type using a keyboard that uses LCDs on or below the keys.
Other systems provide a touch pad with a display matrix, wherein the display matrix is displayed on the screen of the display device. The display matrix simulates a selection of items that may be selected and/or activated by the user interacting with the touch pad. The display matrix displays matrix items that are associated with portions of the touchpad, such that when that portion of the touchpad is touched, the selected display matrix item is determined to be activated and/or selected. Because there is a separation of the touchpad and the matrix display on the screen, frequently the user takes her eyes off of the screen to look at the touchpad to make a selection and then move her eyes back to the screen. If an error is found to have been made in the selection, the user must again take her eyes off from the screen and look back at the touchpad to select and touch the desired area or portion of the touchpad that is associated with the display matrix item. Generally, a touchpad does not provide any tactile feedback, beyond the feel of a substantially hard and smooth surface.
Touch screens wherein the display device also acts as a touch activated input are known. Systems that include a touch screen generally include a layer provided on top of a display device, wherein the display device displays such as a matrix of keys on the screen of the display device. The user touches the screen to activate the displayed key. Touch screens can provide different displays of matrix of keys such that the same location on the screen may be used to activate differently identified keys. For example, at one time, on one display, a portion of the screen may indicate the “A” key and at a later time, the same portion of the screen may indicate the “B” key. When the user is using the matrix of keys for input, touch screens require a display of the matrix of keys to be on the screen. This requirement can take up a portion of the screen area, such that a significant portion of the screen of the display device is obstructed by the displayed matrix of keys. Often, touch screen interface requires a dedicated amount of display space on the screen. Screens are generally a flat and hard surface. Because the user is interacting with a generally flat surface of the screen, the user does not experience a tactile feed back when using touch screens. The lack of tactile feedback makes touch-typing difficult. The lack of tactile feedback can lead to more errors in the input from the user. The lack of tactile feedback generally forces the user to take her eyes off of the output portion of the screen to look at the input portion or the matrix of keys, which can lead to slower input and more frequent correction of errors.
All of the above devices, systems, and methods can lead to problems in a stressful operations environment when errors are not generally acceptable. Accordingly, devices, systems and methods for an improved touch interface that can provide one or more advantages of a push button interface for touch-typing and also provide one or more advantages of displays of a matrix of keys touch screens and/or touch pads are desirable.